Today, Tuesday 31st October, BBC Children in Need and BBC Two’s See Hear have announced a dedicated programme for the charity in a bid to “get the nation signing”, which will see Pudsey Bear learn British Sign Language (BSL) for the first time.

See Hear is a monthly magazine programme on BBC Two that covers relevant issues for the deaf and hard of hearing community, presented by Julian Peedle-Calloo and Yvonne Cobb who are both deaf and communicate via BSL and the programme is subtitled.

In the special programme, which airs on Wednesday 1st November 08:00, Julian and Yvonne are challenged to “get the nation signing” and travel to locations across the country to visit projects funded by BBC Children in Need for deaf children and young people to learn more about their funding and how they benefit.

The programme sees the duo visit Deaf Active in Merseyside which receives a grant of £111,864, over three years, from BBC Children in Need to deliver after school and holiday club sessions for deaf children and young people, which enables them to learn new skills, develop confidence and self-esteem, and encourage their independence. Elsewhere, Yvonne visits DSN, which works in Cheshire and North East Wales, and receive a grant of £99,834 to deliver family support and weekly football sessions to deaf and hard of hearing children and young people and their siblings, which helps to boost confidence and develop relationships. In Hertfordshire, Julian visits Heathlands School for the Deaf who have a three-year grant of £30,011from BBC Children in Need to fund a support worker.

In an exciting collaboration, the programme also features a visit to Morning Live where Yvonne teaches presenters Gethin Jones and Kym Marsh, alongside guests Dr Ranj and Strictly’s Nadia Bychkova how to sign their names in BSL.

See Hear presenter, Yvonne Cobb, who also presents a weekly cookery segment on Morning Live said: “We had a lot of fun filming this special programme for BBC Children in Need, as we travelled across the country meeting projects and deaf children and young people to learn more about how they benefit from BBC Children in Need funding. We even managed to teach Pudsey some BSL which was a first for the big yellow bear!”

Julian Peedle-Calloo added: “It was a real pleasure to film this special programme for BBC Children in Need, and so insightful to meet with children and families who have benefited from this long standing charity. We hope that you enjoy this special programme as much as we enjoyed making it.”

Tommy Nagra, Director of Content at BBC Children in Need said: “We are delighted to collaborate with See Hear and for the first time see Pudsey learning British Sign Language from children and young people supported by BBC Children In Need funded projects. It’s a great addition to our season of programmes!”

See Hear, will broadcast on Wednesday 1st November, 08:00, BBC Two.

ENDS For more information, please contact: [email protected]

About BBC Children in Need

BBC Children in Need believe every child and young person deserves the opportunity to thrive and be the best they can be.

BBC Children in Need’s ambition is to create lasting, positive change across the UK for the children and young people who need it most. Together with the BBC and partners, BBC Children in Need aim to inspire the nation in support of their work.

BBC Children in Need’s 1,700 local charities and projects work tirelessly in every corner of the UK to help children & young people overcome the additional challenges they currently face, including supporting children and young people living in poverty, providing emergency support to families in crisis, providing comfort to children feeling sad, lost and alone, helping children overcome social injustice and supporting children to feel safe and secure again. Further information can be found at www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk